World Cup to feature two major VAR changes as full rule change list confirmed

VAR will be involved in further incidents at the upcoming World Cup in North America as confirmed by a new list of rule changes.

On Saturday, there was an annual meeting for the International Football Association Board at Hensol Castle in Wales on Saturday, where football's lawmakers approved a whole host of new rules.

And one of the big takeaways from their 2026 meeting is the VAR involvement in different situations at the World Cup, which is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Since it was rolled out, VAR has predominantly been in use for goals, penalties and red cards. But it has now been confirmed that at the World Cup, there will be the option to use the technology on corners - specifically reviewing them when it is obvious who the ball came off last.

VAR can be used for corners and second yellow cards at the World Cup. Image: Getty

FIFA were particularly keen to make this significant change as a fix to decisions with clear mistakes.

In a statement on their website, IFAB said the VAR can be used for when there is a "clearly incorrectly awarded corner kick, provided that the review can be completed immediately and without delaying the restart".

A number of leagues did not support the change, with both the Premier League and UEFA against it. Therefore it is only optional and not compulsory.

In addition, VAR can be utilised for "red cards arising from a clearly incorrect second yellow cards" and in cases of mistaken identity "when the referee penalises the wrong team for an offence that results in a red or yellow card being shown to the wrong player".

What other rules have been brought in?

There are also a series of measures being brought in a bid to tackle timewasting through new countdowns on goal kicks, throw ins and substitutions - much like the eight-second rule for goalkeepers.

Additional timewasting measures have also been brought in. Image: Getty

For throw-ins or goal-kicks, a deliberate delay will lead to a five-second countdown and if a player is deemed to have taken too long, the play will go to the other team.

In the case of substitutions, a player has 10 seconds to leave the field of play and if they do not do so, the player entering the fray cannot come on for 60 seconds - therefore leaving one team with a player less for that period.

In terms of injuries, when a player receives treatment they are required to be off the pitch for a minute instead of the 30 seconds rule in the Premier League.

The new trend of goalkeepers going down with an injury to bring about a pause in lay is to be looked into with further trials and assessments.

The same approach is being taken in regards to players leaving the field unilaterally such as protesting against a referee's call, as well as consultations beginning around the issue of players pulling up their shirts to cover their mouths.

Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica did that against Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid, with the Argentine investigated by UEFA over an alleged racist comment. He denies making a racial remark.

The new rules come into play on 1 July but with the World Cup starting earlier, they will be implemented on 11 June when Mexico host South Africa in the opener.